# FIN13: threat group profile

> FIN13 is a threat group thought to operate from Russia. Public reporting links it to 42 attack techniques. This free profile shows how it works, stage by stage, so you can judge the risk to you. It lists the other names the group goes by and links to every public report behind it.

Canonical page: https://www.edgeprotect.io/threat-actors/fin13
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## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Attack techniques | 42 (plus 33 sub-techniques) |
| Thought to operate from | Russia |
| Other names | 2 |
| Public reports | 4 |

## Who is FIN13?

FIN13 is a threat group thought to operate from Russia. Public reporting links it to 42 attack techniques.

### Also known as

TG2003, Elephant Beetle

Security companies each give the same group their own name, so one group can have many.

### What public reporting says

> Since 2017, Mandiant has been tracking FIN13, an industrious and versatile financially motivated threat actor conducting long-term intrusions in Mexico with an activity timeframe stretching back as early as 2016. Although their operations continue through the present day, in many ways FIN13's intrusions are like a time capsule of traditional financial cybercrime from days past. Instead of today's prevalent smash-and-grab ransomware groups, FIN13 takes their time to gather information to perform fraudulent money transfers. Rather than relying heavily on attack frameworks such as Cobalt Strike, the majority of FIN13 intrusions involve heavy use of custom passive backdoors and tools to lurk in environments for the long haul.

## How does FIN13 attack? Stage by stage

Each technique is a known way attackers research, get in, stay hidden or do damage. Here are the 42 linked to FIN13. Some techniques belong to more than one stage. Public reporting also lists 33 more specific variations of them, called sub-techniques.

### 1. Research (2)

- T1589: Gather Victim Identity Information
- T1590: Gather Victim Network Information

### 2. Preparation (2)

- T1587: Develop Capabilities
- T1588: Obtain Capabilities

### 3. Getting in (3)

- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1133: External Remote Services
- T1190: Exploit Public-Facing Application

### 4. Running code (4)

- T1047: Windows Management Instrumentation
- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1059: Command and Scripting Interpreter
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 5. Staying in (8)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1098: Account Manipulation
- T1133: External Remote Services
- T1136: Create Account
- T1505: Server Software Component
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution
- T1556: Modify Authentication Process

### 6. Taking control (5)

- T1053: Scheduled Task/Job
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1098: Account Manipulation
- T1134: Access Token Manipulation
- T1547: Boot or Logon Autostart Execution

### 7. Hiding (6)

- T1036: Masquerading
- T1078: Valid Accounts
- T1134: Access Token Manipulation
- T1140: Deobfuscate/Decode Files or Information
- T1564: Hide Artifacts
- T1574: Hijack Execution Flow

### 8. Disabling defences (1)

- T1556: Modify Authentication Process

### 9. Stealing passwords (4)

- T1003: OS Credential Dumping
- T1056: Input Capture
- T1552: Unsecured Credentials
- T1556: Modify Authentication Process

### 10. Looking around (8)

- T1016: System Network Configuration Discovery
- T1046: Network Service Discovery
- T1049: System Network Connections Discovery
- T1069: Permission Groups Discovery
- T1082: System Information Discovery
- T1083: File and Directory Discovery
- T1087: Account Discovery
- T1135: Network Share Discovery

### 11. Spreading (2)

- T1021: Remote Services
- T1550: Use Alternate Authentication Material

### 12. Gathering data (4)

- T1005: Data from Local System
- T1056: Input Capture
- T1074: Data Staged
- T1560: Archive Collected Data

### 13. Keeping contact (4)

- T1071: Application Layer Protocol
- T1090: Proxy
- T1105: Ingress Tool Transfer
- T1572: Protocol Tunneling

### 14. Taking data out (0)

- None linked in public reporting.

### 15. Causing damage (2)

- T1565: Data Manipulation
- T1657: Financial Theft

## Public reports about FIN13

- https://www.mandiant.com/resources/fin13-cybercriminal-mexico
- https://blog.sygnia.co/elephant-beetle-an-organized-financial-theft-operation
- https://f.hubspotusercontent30.net/hubfs/8776530/Sygnia-%20Elephant%20Beetle_Jan2022.pdf
- https://www.netwitness.com/wp-content/uploads/FIN13-Elephant-Beetle-NetWitness.pdf

## Frequently asked questions

### Who is FIN13?

FIN13 is a threat group thought to operate from Russia. Public reporting links it to 42 attack techniques.

### Where is FIN13 thought to be based?

Public reporting places FIN13 as operating from Russia. Attribution is never certain: it rests on the tools, infrastructure and targets researchers have seen.

### How does FIN13 attack?

Public reporting links FIN13 to 42 attack techniques. Most of them are about staying in, looking around and hiding.

### How do I know if FIN13 is a risk to my business?

Create an account and tell us the software you run. We match it against known flaws, including those linked to threat groups, rank each one from 0 to 100 and tell you as soon as we spot something that affects you.

## Check whether it matters to your business

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